Marriage and Family

In 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, Fran and Susan Deck began their married life. At first they lived with Fran's parents, at 1211 Frontier Ave., in the parish of St. Joseph's Church.

Fran and Sue had three children, all born in Chicago:

Richard Raymond Deck, b. 8-Oct-1932 (shown at left with his parents)

Elaine Susan Deck, b. 22-Oct-1936

Laurence Francis Deck, b. 28-May-1939, d. 23-Aug-2000

Fran worked as a conductor for the Chicago Rapid Transit, and in maintenance for Cook Electric Co. A work-related eye injury kept Fran from World War II service.

They lived in various apartments in the Lincoln Park area, and some-times with relatives (since housing after WWII was especially hard to secure).

Although unusual for the times, Susan continued to work after marriage. For many years, she worked for Popular Mechanics ("Pops"). She was a member of the International Bookbinders and Bindery Workers’ Union, and attained journeywoman status.